*Jake Dunn and Aaron Whited at the Release Party (Michelle Waters*)

On Saturday, February 7, the hum of conversation inside First City Records felt a little different than usual. Customers weren’t just flipping through crates, they were gathering for something new. For the first time, the Marietta record shop wasn’t just selling records. It was celebrating one it helped create.

The occasion was the release of kinda like a dream, a five-song EP by local musician Jake Dunn and the inaugural album from First City Records’ newly launched label.

For FCR owner Aaron Whited, the event marked the culmination of a long-held dream. “Every musician dreams of having their art appreciated and printed to physical media,” he said.

Back in the early 2000s, when he was a gigging musician himself, pressing an album to vinyl felt nearly impossible - too expensive, too inaccessible, too distant. “Fast forward to 2026,” he said, “and there are new vinyl pressing plants popping up all over the world leading to a surge in affordability.” What once seemed unattainable is now within reach for independent artists.

That shift in the industry planted a seed. Aaron’s goal for the label is twofold: to press albums he loves that missed out on a physical release and to help the next generation realize their dreams with less financial burden and more hands-on assistance.

Jake Dunn was a natural choice for the label’s first release.

“I knew I wanted to work with someone local and someone that I trusted on our first release,” Aaron explained. The process, he admitted, was a learning experience at every step. Together, they scouted pressing plants, navigated vinyl remastering, formatted digital artwork for album sleeves, and assembled a small but dedicated production team.

The record was pressed at Hellbender Vinyl in Pittsburgh, a plant Aaron described as professional and attentive, ensuring the album “looked and sounded exactly as we wanted it to.” Jake recorded the EP with Neil Trurri at Amish Electric Chair Studios in Athens, Ohio, where the tracks were remastered specifically for vinyl, an important distinction in preserving warmth and depth.

For Jake, kinda like a dream represents both a return and a step forward.

“These songs are really a return to a sound that I used to chase after,” he said, reflecting on his earlier influences before developing a deep love for country and Americana. The EP ventures back into those formative sonic landscapes while pushing toward something new. “I’m always trying to think of new ways to create songs that are more than something that I’ve done previously.”

The writing and recording process was largely solitary, an experience that shaped the emotional tone of the EP. Jake describes a theme of aloneness not as isolation, but as self-exploration.

“The time alone helps me become as self-aware as I can be,” he said. That honesty permeates the songs, which explore universal themes: the monotony of everyday life, the pull of the past, the relentless approach of the future.

“I always hope that people enjoy the songs themselves by the melody and instrumentation,” Jake said, “but I also hope that people can relate to the content.” He imagines listeners returning to the lyrics after the first spin - internalizing them, recognizing themselves in the words.

Aaron shares that deep appreciation for the project. “This five-song EP means a lot to Jake because he wrote, performed and recorded every lyric, every instrument and every note on this album,” he said. “My label creation helped him push through some roadblocks and get these songs out to the world.”

That partnership was on full display during the February 7 album release party. The afternoon included a listening session, where attendees gathered among the record bins, absorbing the EP in its intended format - on vinyl. Jake signed copies, chatted with fans, and lingered in the warm glow of a community that showed up in full support.

For Jake, working with First City Records felt like a natural fit. He had long admired the store’s inviting atmosphere and its commitment to cultivating local music. “When Aaron had first reached out to me to help with this release, I couldn’t have been more excited,” he said. “The whole process has been really enjoyable and fulfilling.”

That sense of fulfillment extends beyond one album. Aaron already has two more releases contracted and in the works. The second will feature a Brooklyn-based power-pop/indie rock band, with plans to produce vinyl, CDs, and even cassette tapes - a format experiencing its own quiet resurgence. A third release is underway, awaiting final artwork before announcement.

Still, Aaron remains grounded about the shop’s place in the regional music ecosystem. “We remain humble servants to the community,” he said. His dream is to one day be mentioned alongside admired regional record stores, but for now, he is focused on building thoughtfully and serving the vinyl community that has supported First City Records since its move to Front Street.

The release of kinda like a dream is more than a milestone. In a small river town like Marietta, the gap between local artist and physical record has narrowed. A musician can write and record songs alone, carry them through careful collaboration, and hold them - pressed and tangible - in their hands.

As Jake signed albums and friends flipped through fresh copies of his EP, that dream no longer felt distant. It felt real.

All photography by the one and only Michelle Waters!